The 1972 African Cup of Nations was the eighth edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by Cameroon, in the cities of Yaoundé and Douala. Just like in 1970, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four. The People's Republic of the Congo won its first championship, beating Mali in the final 3−2.
| Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 1972 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Cameroon |
| Dates | 23 February – 5 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Congo (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Mali |
| Third place |  Cameroon |
| Fourth place |  Zaire |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 53 (3.31 per match) |
| Attendance | 425,000 (26,563 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Fantamady Keita (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | François M'Pelé |
Qualified teams
For the first time, Ethiopia did not compete. The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | Hosts | 1 (1970) | |
| Sudan | Holders | 16 February 1970 | 4 (1957, 1959, 1963, 1970) |
| Morocco | 2nd round winners | 16 April 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Togo | 2nd round winners | 20 June 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Mali | 2nd round winners | 27 June 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Congo | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 1 (1968) |
| Kenya | 2nd round winners | 18 July 1971 | 0 (debut) |
| Zaire | 2nd round winners | 27 October 1971 | 3 (1965, 1968, 1970) |
- Notes
Squads
Venues
The competition was played in two venues in Yaoundé and Douala.
| Yaoundé | Douala | |
|---|---|---|
| Stade Omnisports | Stade de la Réunification | |
| Capacity: 38,720 | Capacity: 30,000 | |
.JPG){kind=link}
Group stage
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 |
| Mali | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Kenya | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 |
| Togo | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
Source: [citation needed]
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaire | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
| Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Morocco | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Sudan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
Source: [citation needed]
| Zaire | 1–1 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Mayanga 53' | Hasabu El-Sagheer 55' |
| Morocco | 1–1 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Faras 32' | Abdel-Nadief 49' |
Knockout stage
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 2 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| Cameroon | 0 | |||||
| 5 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| Congo | 1 | |||||
| Congo | 3 | |||||
| 2 March – Douala | ||||||
| Mali | 2 | |||||
| Zaire | 3 | |||||
| Mali (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 4 March – Yaoundé | ||||||
| Cameroon | 5 | |||||
| Zaire | 2 | |||||
Semifinals
| Zaire | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| N'Tumba 6' Etepé 61' Ngassebe 78' | A. Traoré 17' F. Keita 48', 92' B. Touré 68' |
Third place match
| Cameroon | 5–2 | Zaire |
|---|---|---|
| Akono 4' (pen.) N'Dongo 31' Owona 32' Mouthé 34' N'Doga 42' | Etepé 13' Mayanga 17' |
Final
Goalscorers
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- Jean-Baptiste N'Doga
- Paul-Gaston N'Dongo
- François M'Pelé
- Bako Touré
- Kakoko Etepé
- 1 goal
- Jean Paul Akono
- Simo Emmanuel Mvé
- François N'Doumbe
- Joseph Yegba Maya
- Philippe Michel Mouthé
- Norbert Owona
- Jonas Bahamboula
- Noël Birindi Minga
- Paul Moukila
- Daniel Arudhi Nicodémus
- Jonathan Niva
- Peter "Pelé" Ouma
- Adama Traoré
- Bakary Traoré
- Moussa Diakhité
- Moussa Traoré
- Bushara Abdel-Nadief
- Kamal Abdel Wahab
- Hasabu El-Sagheer
- Ahmed Bushara Wahba
- Covi Adé
- Gary Ngassebe
Team of the tournament
Source:
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allal Ben Kassou | Mohamed El-Sir Abdalla | Mayanga Maku | Kakoko Etepé |